POWER SAW: AN EASIER WAY TO REMOVE THE BRAIN FOR THE TSE SCHEME Fraser Hill, Gribbles Veterinary Pathology, Palmerston North At the recent DCV post mortem seminars I demonstrated how to remove a brain with a meat saw. Some of the participants struggled with the saw and a limitation was requiring a second person to hold the head. This got me thinking and experimenting. I have found an easier method; a reciprocating saw. I purchased a battery powered Black and Decker, Firestorm hand held reciprocating saw from Mitre 10 on special for $179. It comes with 2 short blades. Add in a 19 or 21 tooth per inch (TPI) 300mm metal saw blade for $12.50. I experimented on a bull and a cow skull Andrew Leadbetter from Riverlands in Bulls kindly supplied me with. For the transverse cut behind the eyes fit the 300mm blade. The trick is to put the baseplate at the hub of the saw hard against the side of the head. The trigger is variable speed so by starting slowly till a groove cuts then accelerating the saw cuts smoothly and very quickly and you can hold the head by yourself. You can then either complete the standard 7 cuts as you would for a meat saw or try a modified, wider method as detailed below. If an assistant is available to hold the head the process is much easier. For the lateral cuts, rather than 4 linked cuts required when using the meat saw, try placing the blade about 1 cm more laterally so only 2 cuts are required. Cut from the transverse cut to the poll and then around the back of the head down to the foramen as far as you can go. Finally turn the head upside down. Fit the shortest blade supplied with the saw. Insert the blade into the foramen towards the nose and cut from the outermost lateral part of the foramen magnum to the point where your lateral cut finished. Lever out the cut bone with a screwdriver, then remove the brain. Cutting the cow's skull was straightforward. However the thicker bull's skull required a bit more effort and deeper cuts. Still this was much easier than using a hand meat saw. I have also tried the saw successfully on deer and dog skulls. The saws come in a tidy satchel with a spare battery so they are convenient to transport. With the shorter blade supplied you could also cut the ribs when doing a post mortem. Being battery powered, clean up is safe in cold water.